The Monkey's Paw
by PhoenixDowner
Summary: Sora wanted to keep his promise to Kairi, no matter what. Perhaps he should've been more careful what he wished for.
1. Chapter 1 - Temptation

Chapter 1 - Temptation

The dead and living were never meant to meet. But the border between sleep and death was a blurry one, and those who had crossed it once before found it easy to draw close to it again.

Kairi's days were a blur of grief and pain, but her nights were clear. With night came sleep, and with sleep, Sora.

It was always on Destiny Islands that she saw him. Perhaps his spirit lingered on in her memories. This place was his closest tie to the Realm of Light, where sky and sea reached above and below each other but could never touch.

The sand was soft and wet beneath her feet. A sheen of water covered the shore, perfectly reflecting the night sky filled with stars above. It was in this liminal space that Sora always met her. Not quite land, not quite sea, not quite sky, but hovering somewhere in between.

She sighed and listened to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, the tide tickling at her toes. Listened to the wind, sounding like it was whispering her name.

"Sora," she said softly, and when her eyes opened, he was there, surrounded by dark mist with the waves gently lapping at his feet. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair beneath her ear. "You came."

All he could do was smile sadly. His voice could never reach her here, only his image.

She lifted her hand and pressed it against the invisible barrier that kept them apart. He likewise lifted his hand and pressed it against his side of the barrier. He was so close, and yet, she couldn't even touch him. Death was the final separation, and for all of her powers, not even she could bring him back to life.

She'd already tried, countless times.

What she wouldn't do to hug him again, to feel his warmth. Instead, all she could feel was the chilly night wind and cool ocean waters and hot tears welling up in her eyes. Would it really be so hard for this stupid barrier to come down long enough for her to hug him for a few seconds?

She quickly wiped her eyes. No need for him to see how much she was hurting. But when she looked into his eyes again, his face mirrored her pain. His hand balled into a fist as he banged against the barrier over and over again.

She just shook her head and sniffed. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and trying again was pointless. His Keyblade, his fists, his feet, his magic – didn't matter; same outcome. That barrier always held steady. Same result whenever she tried.

"Sora, please, you'll hurt yourself—"

He stopped what he was doing, but a fire had lit in his eyes. His hand went into his pocket, and a few moments later he showed her her lucky charm. It was still in one piece, the shells from this very beach.

She gave him a sad smile. "I know you'll bring it back to me. And you know what else I know?"

He tilted his head.

"I'm looking for you too. All of us are. We won't give up until we find you."

He smiled at that and nodded, his own eyes shining with a few unshed tears.

"See you soon," she said softly.

He was already fading away again, and one final tear slid down her cheek and landed on the water after he was gone.

* * *

A single raindrop fell on Sora's hand, and he sighed deeply. Another reminder that Kairi was sad. And worse, he was powerless to fix it.

Wandering around late at night in a place as big and mysterious as the afterlife was probably not the best idea, but it sure beat sitting down and thinking too hard. All the neon lights and dark alleys were a good way to get his mind off everything.

Except when Kairi dreamed. He found his heart drawn to hers, and her flickering image haunted him when she slept. This time it had found him in a side alley as he'd searched for some clue as to how to get out of here.

He was about to tuck her lucky charm back in his pocket when he realized it was gone. Heart pounding, he reached into his pocket. Not there. He checked his other pocket. Not there, either. It wasn't in any of his pockets, and it wasn't on the ground. It wasn't anywhere at all.

He raked his hand through his hair as his stomach did flips. How could he have lost it? What would he tell her when—

"Looking for something?" came a mysterious voice.

Sora whipped around, his Keyblade appearing in his hand by instinct. In the alley behind him was a figure wearing a black coat. Eyes narrowing, Sora moved into a battle stance. He'd had enough black coats to last him a lifetime.

"Woah woah woah!" the man said as he held his arms out. "Put that thing away!"

"And why should I?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrow. "Who are you?"

The man tossed something in the air, and with a gasp, Sora realized it was Kairi's charm.

"Hey, give that back to me!" he said as he reached for it. The stranger evaded him easily, holding the charm just out of his reach. He shook his head and made an annoying clicking noise with his tongue as Sora kept trying to grab it without any luck.

"Where are your manners, man? Didn't your mom ever teach you how to say 'please' and 'thank you?'"

Sora glared at him. "You stole something from me and now you want me to say 'please' to get it back? No way. That's mine, now hand it over."

The man looked at it more closely. "It's from your girlfriend, isn't it? Better get it back soon, or you'll be in hot water."

"G-Girlfriend? Kairi's not my girlfriend, she's my—"

Sora hesitated. Was she his girlfriend? Yeah, they'd shared the paopu fruit, but was that the same as dating? The exact label to slap on their relationship had seemed kinda unimportant compared to all the other stuff they'd had to deal with lately, so he hadn't really thought about it that much.

"Your what, Sora?" the man said.

"I—" Sora's eyes narrowed. "Hang on, how do you know my name?"

The man chuckled. "I know a lot about you. I've been watching you for a long time now."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better because…"

The man put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Seriously, man, you need to chill out," he drawled. "You're all tense, all wound up."

"You would be too if some random stranger had just taken something important from you!"

The man gasped and lifted a gloved man to his mouth. "Oh how rude of me! I never introduced myself." He offered his hand. "Call me Ken."

Sora just looked at the man's offered hand. "Ken? Really?"

He waved his hands and laughed, a loud guffaw that echoed off the walls of the alley. "Nah, I'm just messing with you."

The laughing just kept going on and on, and Sora shifted uncomfortably. Seriously, what was with this guy?

The man cleared his throat and pulled himself up to his full height. "Alright, enough of the jokes. You at least deserve to know my name. I am… the Master of Masters."

Sora raised his eyebrow. "The Master of Masters? Yeah right. That sounds even faker than Ken."

"Believe it or not, Sora, that is my real name. Well, my real name now. It's not like my parents named me that! Can you imagine, naming your kid something like that? You'd have to have an ego bigger than Kingdom Hearts!"

Sora's heart caught in his throat. "Kingdom Hearts? You know what that is?"

"Sure do." The Master of Masters looked around. "You know what else I know?" he said, beckoning for Sora to come closer.

"What?"

The Master of Masters beckoned again, more impatiently this time, and Sora sighed and took a step closer.

He cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered, "A way for you to get back to your girlfriend."

Sora's heart pounded in his chest as the Master of Masters placed the lucky charm in his hand.

"No snap decisions," The Master of Masters said as Sora tucked the charm into his pocket. "I'll give you some time to mull it over. If you _want _to see your girlfriend again, who is no doubt a lovely individual, seeing as how you changed places with her so she'd end up up there," he said, pointing up, "and you'd end up down here," he continued, pointing down, "you can meet me again here tomorrow night."

Sora considered this, but before he could answer, the Master of Masters continued.

"Buuuuut, if you don't care about her and want her to die of old age, alone, never married because she never got over her jerk of a boyfriend who _abandoned_ her and kept stringing her along with the hope that he'd come back someday—"

"Enough!" Sora snapped as he pushed the Master of Masters against the wall and pinned him there.

The Master of Masters let out a low whistle. "Ho ho ho, look at that! Have you got a lot of darkness inside of you!"

Sora froze and looked at his arm. Darkness was wafting off of it. His eyes snapped back to the Master of Masters. "You wanted that to happen, didn't you? You goaded me into it!"

"Just testing your control. You're gonna need it if you want to get home."

Sora opened his mouth to answer, but the Master of Masters put a finger over his lip. "Shhhh, you don't have to give me your answer just yet. Think it over first."

With that he was gone. How he'd disappeared so quickly, Sora had no idea. Sighing and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out Kairi's charm to look at it again.

"What if this really is the only way to get back to her?"

He was running out of options. He hadn't had any luck with anything he'd tried so far. Hadn't found any clues that hadn't fizzled out. Playing the game hadn't worked. He was still stuck down here with nothing to show for it.

In his mind he could picture Kairi's face, see her crying because of him. Knowing he was the one making her sad was too much to bear. No more tears. He'd had enough of that. He wanted to see her smile again, more than anything. And the only way to do that was to make it home like he'd promised.

"Hey, Master of Masters?"

Just like that, the Master of Masters was back, casually lounging against the wall. "Yeah?"

"We don't have to wait till tomorrow. Tell me how to get home. Please."

He patted Sora on the head. "Atta boy. I'll have you home in no time."

* * *

The next time Kairi dreamed, Sora was the one who met her at the shore.

"Sora?" she asked as she waded into the shallow surf, the water and sand tickling her toes.

His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled as he lifted his hand to the barrier. "Kairi."

A lump built in her throat as she lifted her hand to meet his. The barrier was still between them, but hearing his voice for the first time since he'd— since he'd—

She swallowed the lump and smiled. "You can talk."

His face lit up. "Wait, you can hear me now?"

"Yes," she said, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Yes, I can."

"Kairi," he said again, his smile getting bigger. "Kairi. _Kairi._"

She giggled, her face flushing. "Is my name the only thing you know how to say anymore?"

"Gosh, it's the only thing I want to say." He rested his forehead against the barrier and sighed, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening again. "You don't know how badly I wanted to talk to you."

She ducked her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to talk to you, too."

He opened his mouth to reply, then glanced down at his hands. They were already fading again.

He looked up, an anguished expression in her eyes, and the lump returned to her throat. "Sora—" she said, reaching for him only to feel the barrier again.

He put his hand against the barrier near hers. "I won't give up, Kairi. Whatever it takes to reach you, I'll do it."

She gave him a sad smile. "I know you will. And you know what else I know?"

"What?"

"I'm looking for you too. All of us are."

He smiled at that. "I know. See you soon, Kairi."

"See you soon."

With that, he was gone, leaving Kairi alone again.

* * *

"I did it! Kairi can hear me now!" Sora said as soon as he ducked into their usual alley.

The Master of Masters was waiting for him there as always, lounging on a bunch of crates. At Sora's words he straightened and clapped. "Well done, Sora! Anything else to report?"

Sora hesitated. "Well, the barrier's still there, but… Kairi hearing my voice is progress, right?"

"Sure is. But you have to figure out how to get that barrier down, or you won't be able to cross back over into the Realm of Light."

Sora sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm stumped. How am I supposed to do it? The Power of Waking doesn't work. Kairi's light magic doesn't work, either, and she's a Princess of Heart. I don't know what to do."

"Soooo, what you're telling me is, you've tried light," the Master of Masters said, holding up his right hand, "and you've tried the power that killed you in the first place…" he added, holding up his left. He brought his hands together in the middle and looked at Sora. "Now... why haven't you tried darkness yet?"

Sora jerked back. "Darkness? I can't use the darkness."

The Master of Masters shrugged. "Why not? You used it all the time when you were alive."

"Yeah, but… only when I was really angry. It sort of took over and I lost control when that happened. I'm not like Riku, I can't use it safely."

"Listen to yourself. 'I'm not like Riku, I can't do what he can,'" the Master of Masters said, imitating Sora's voice.

Sora raised his eyebrow, and the Master of Masters sighed dramatically. "Sora, come _on. _You saved all of your friends. You brought your girlfriend back from the dead. You've saved the worlds over and over again. If you're not a hero, then I don't know who is."

Sora frowned. "Sure, I guess, but that doesn't mean I'm like Riku."

"Doesn't mean you're a Master like Riku, you mean," the Master of Masters corrected, holding one finger in the air. "Man, Sora, don't you ever think it's all a little… unfair?"

Sora tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

The Master of Masters just shook his head. "Sheesh, they've got you brainwashed. You sacrificed everything for your friends, and this is your reward? Death?"

"My… reward?"

Xigbar's words echoed through his mind. Had he known all along that death lay ahead of Sora? Had he been trying to warn him?

"I'm telling you, Sora, a guy like you is a hero," the Master of Masters said, really emphasizing the last words. "You _deserve_ to be a Master."

"Maybe, but I failed my Mark of Mastery."

"Yeah, you failed because you didn't have control of your darkness. But this is the perfect chance to learn how! I can help you."

Sora crossed his arms. "I don't see how. I failed because my heart almost fell to darkness. I can't risk that happening again. I've gotta stay in control."

"Don't see how?" The Master of Masters sighed again, this time sounding irritated. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kinda dense, sorry."

Sora bristled at that, but the Master of Masters just held his hand up. "Think about Riku for a second. He got his Mark of Mastery because he got control of his darkness. He didn't run from it. He didn't lock it up. He channeled it into something better and turned it into light. Who says you can't do the same?"

"I mean… I guess I could try, I just don't see how this will help me get out of here."

He just didn't see the connection between using darkness and getting home. He'd never been able to traverse realms by using darkness, only light.

The Master of Masters patted the spot next to him, and Sora sat down. The crates were kinda soggy from the rain, but it couldn't really be helped.

"Sora, think back to your final battle with Xehanort. What happened when he stole your light?"

"I… I turned into a Heartless. Well, kinda. I wasn't a Heartless exactly. I was more like… a human Heartless."

"And how did you fight in that form?"

"With my Keyblade."

"And before that?"

Sora scratched his cheek. "Well… I couldn't fight with my Keyblade at first in that form. I was more like a wild animal, just scratching and clawing and kicking at stuff. It wasn't until later that I could use my Keyblade."

The Master of Masters slapped him on the back. "See? You're improving. You're evolving. You're getting better control. First you fought like a monster, and now you're fighting like a man. What do you think the next step will be?"

"A hero?"

"Wrong!" the Master of Masters said, making a loud buzzing noise afterwards like they were on a game show and he was the host. "The next step is…" he paused and stretched his hands out. "...A god."

Sora laughed at that. "A god? Really?"

The Master of Masters nodded, and Sora gave him a weird look. "You can't be serious. My friend Hercules is a god. I'm just an ordinary guy. There's nothing special about me. Without my friends, I'm nothing."

"Wrong again! You are the most powerful Keyblade Wielder of your age. Destined for greatness."

"I… I am?"

"Yup." The Master of Masters rested his chin on his hands. "Tell me, Sora, have you ever heard a little voice speak to you?"

Sora frowned. "Like… my conscience?"

The Master of Masters waved his hands. "No no no, during your awakenings."

"Oh." Sora thought long and hard. The memories from his awakenings were always sort of blurry, but…

Wait. There was a voice. There was always a voice. It helped him and guided him. Reassured him and eased his fears.

"I guess I have, actually," he said.

"And what did it say?"

Sora thought again. "That I'll... open some kind of door?"

"A-ha! There it is!" The Master of Masters jumped to his feet and let out a whoop like it was Christmas morning. It echoed throughout the alley, and it was a wonder no one else found them with all the racket he was making.

Sora sighed and rested his face on his hands. "I don't get it."

The Master of Masters whirled around. "You don't get it? Haven't you heard all the legends about the person who will open the door?"

"No? Should I have?"

"Sora, the one who will open the door will be reborn as something greater than human! He, or she, will have the power to remake the worlds!"

"Remake the worlds?"

With that kind of power, Sora could get home, easily. No, better than that. He could… he could make it so that the Heartless all became people again. The Nobodies could all get their hearts back, too. And then… with the threat gone, he could finally go home. He could be with Kairi again. With Riku. With all his friends.

"You really think… I'm the one who will open the door?"

"I do. But to get to the door, you have to be in control of your darkness. You have to be the best version of you."

The Master of Masters gently poked his heart, and Sora thought. Thought about all the people he could help if he got power like that. Thought about seeing all his friends again. Thought about making Kairi smile.

"Show me how, then. Show me how to control my darkness."

"Gladly."

* * *

A/N: This was written for Days 5 and 6 of SoKai Week, and the prompts were Separation and Light and Darkness/Nightmares and Daydreams. Day 4's prompt, the Royalty AU, is a part of a longer story that I'm going to wait to start posting to FFN and AO3 till I'm finished with more of the story. As for this story, there will be one more chapter after this one for the final day of SoKai Week. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2 - The Monkey's Paw

Chapter 2 - The Monkey's Paw

Kairi fell asleep with a smile on her face that night. Hearing Sora's voice the night before had given her hope, real hope.

"Sora!" she called as soon as she was on the dream Play Island. It wasn't as dark as it had been in past dreams; in the east she could make out the very first rays of dawn peeking out over the horizon.

A few moments later, and Sora appeared in the shallow surf. Grinning, she ran to him as quickly as she could. The sand was wet beneath her toes and the breeze smelled like sea-salt.

"Sora, it's so good to—"

She paused. Sora's eyes, which were usually a beautiful bright blue, were rimmed with gold.

He frowned. "Kairi? What is it?"

"Your eyes, they just…" He tilted his head, and she took a deep breath. "...Have some gold in them, that's all."

His face relaxed. "Oh, is that what you're worried about? Don't be. I'm learning how to control my darkness, and until I do, that kind of thing might happen more often."

"Oh, okay."

He lifted his hand to the barrier. "What's wrong?"

She fiddled with her necklace, unable to meet his eyes. "It's just that… you never would have had this problem if you hadn't become a Heartless in the first place to save me."

He'd barely had any darkness in his heart before that. She remembered Saïx's words: that she was the fire that fueled Sora's anger. With every new way their enemies found to use her to torment him, was it any surprise, really, that his darkness had gotten to this point?

"Kairi, the darkness in my heart is because of me, not you."

His eyes were tender when she finally summoned the courage to look into them.

"Maybe," she said at last, "but I wish there was something I could do to help until we find you."

He smiled. "Just keep being my light."

She nodded. "Okay. That much I can do."

He was gone before she could tell him that they really were close to finding him.

"Hang in there, Sora," she murmured, the wind carrying her voice. "It won't be too much longer."

* * *

"Sora!" Kairi called the next night as she made her way towards the water. The sun had risen a little higher now, pushing back the darkness even further. Streaks of color stretched across the sky in a way that reminded her of Naminé's paintings.

"You'll never guess!" she said, nearly tripping on the sand before she picked herself back up in her eagerness to meet him. "We've found a way to save you! First thing tomorrow, Riku's gonna dive into the realm where you are while I keep a part of him tethered to the Realm of Light! He'll use that card you left me to—"

Sora's eyes flashed, and with a shock she noticed that they were even more yellow than before. Only a small ring surrounding his irises was still blue. The very tips of his hair were silver, too. She skittered to a halt, an uneasy feeling building in her stomach.

For a few moments, the only sound was the crashing of wave against shore. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do.

"You're gonna keep Riku tethered to the Realm of Light?" he finally asked, his voice low. "Like you did for me?"

She hesitated before answering. "Yes, because if anyone can keep him alive as he descends into the Realm of Death, it's me. You know that, Sora. If I can keep you alive, there's a chance I can keep him alive, too."

"And you gave him the card I gave you?"

Her mouth felt dry. Looking into Sora's eyes, he almost seemed…

She shook her head to clear it. It had to be her imagination.

"Yes, to save you, Sora," she explained. "He has abilities I don't have yet. He can use the Power of Wakening without it hurting him. He's our best bet."

His expression darkened. "I don't need his help. I can save myself just fine."

Kairi felt lightheaded at his words, like she was hearing them from far away. "S-Sora? What's gotten into you?" she asked as she reached for him. He flinched away, even though the barrier was still between them.

"Nothing. I feel great. Better than ever."

"But your eyes… and your hair… and your hands! Oh my gosh, what happened to your hands?"

His fingertips were as red as blood. She had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Her eyes met his, and for a split second, confusion flickered through them.

"Sora, are you hurt? Are you bleeding?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, his eyes flashing again as he crossed his arms behind his back.

She tried to cast a Cure spell, but it didn't work. Her heart was racing as she tried in vain to reach him through the barrier.

"I told you," he said, his voice eerily calm, "it's gonna take some time before I get my darkness under control. Once it is, though, I'll be able to break free and come home to you."

"Sora, it's not getting under control, it's getting worse!"

He smiled, but instead of reassuring her, his smile sent chills down her spine. There was something very off about it, like someone else was smiling at her using Sora's face.

"Kairi, I have to face my darkness," he said. "It's a part of me. I can't pretend it isn't anymore."

"I know that, I'm just… I'm worried, okay? Stay safe until we reach you."

He chuckled. "I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about. I can't keep you safe until we're together again." Putting his hand against the barrier, he added, "Once we're together, nothing will ever take you away from me. Never again. I promise."

Kairi supposed his words were supposed to be heartwarming, but instead they made her blood run cold.

She forced a smile as she put her hand on her side of the barrier, trying her best not to stare at his red-tipped fingers. "Right. See you soon."

Her heart was racing when she woke up, and she practically sprung out of bed. Grabbing a blanket, she wrapped it around herself, then stumbled into the hallway of the bedroom wing of the Mysterious Tower so she could pound on the door of the room across from hers.

A few moments later, it opened to reveal a very sleepy-looking Riku. He winced at the light from the hall, and his silver hair was poking up every which way. He went from half asleep to wide awake in seconds though as he took in her frantic state.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice still a little groggy.

"Riku, it's Sora! He's in trouble!"

Riku was really awake now. "What kind of trouble?"

"He's falling to darkness! His eyes are turning gold and his hair's turning silver and his fingers are turning red!"

She didn't know if any of that made any sense, but Riku made a grim expression. "It's like what happened to Aqua, then. He's been down there too long by himself."

"Riku, please," Kairi said, not even caring how hysterical she must sound right now. "We have to help him!"

"Yeah. This sounds serious. I don't think we can wait any longer. I have to do the dive." He took a deep breath and gave her a half smile. "Think you're ready?"

She nodded. "If you are."

The real risk was to Riku, of course. He was the one going to a place people didn't usually return from, to a place you usually only made one journey to. And he was planning on making the return trip. Would only be able to if she kept him safe.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure you and Sora come home safely," she said.

"You will. Have faith in yourself, Kairi."

She attempted a smile at that. It was a little hard to after everything that had happened at the Keyblade Graveyard.

They took a few minutes to throw their battle clothes on. Riku especially would need his, and it always paid to be prepared. When they met Master Yen Sid at the top of the tower, even he looked sleepy as he gave them a few final instructions.

With that, Riku gave Kairi one last look. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Ready."

"Hang in there, Sora, I'm coming."

With the lucky card in one hand, he lifted his Keyblade in the air and opened the portal with the other. Kairi's throat felt dry as the lights and colors from it swirled above them and sent patterns scattering across the walls. Another bright light flashed from his Keyblade, and she closed her eyes and focused on him.

When she opened her eyes again, he was gone, but she could still feel his heart. It was traveling further and further away from her, but she refused to break the connection. Willed with all her heart for him to live, even when surrounded by death and hanging on by a hair.

"Hurry, Riku," she said, her hands clasped together. "Bring Sora home."

* * *

Everyone had ideas about what the afterlife would (or wouldn't) be like, but of all things, Riku never would've thought it would be… a city?

But it was. A pretty big city at that, with tall skyscrapers and neon lights and big empty stations with trains leading who knows where.

Which meant that Riku had to systematically check everywhere for Sora.

He'd started out in this place called Shinjuku, and now he was somewhere called Shibuya. It was hard to say where one district ended and the next began; this had to be one of the most densely packed places (in terms of buildings, anyway) Riku had ever been.

And this was the biggest crosswalk he had ever been on. With all the exits coming out of Shibuya Station, he decided not to explore that particular labyrinth right now. He'd already wasted a good hour in Shinjuku Station as it was.

It was almost disorienting, how many signs and billboards flashed above him as he crossed the street. Even weirder was the complete lack of people. A city this big, and he hadn't seen anyone. He'd wandered into some store called Don Quixote at one point, and the place was huge. About three different videos were playing loud ads at the same time in the cosmetics aisle alone, plus the store's music on top of that. Even with all that noise, though, there hadn't been a single person in there besides him.

He had to keep looking. A rental store called Tsutaya didn't seem too promising, and neither was Tower Records. He doubted Sora was hanging out and listening to whatever music was available in the afterlife.

Moving away from the main streets, he found himself drawn to the side streets and alleyways, the places that weren't lit so well. Then he rounded the corner, and standing there with his back turned to him was exactly who he'd been searching for.

"Sora! There you are!"

Seeing his lost friend, he hardly believed this was real. He slowed to a halt a few feet away, but Sora didn't turn around. His hood was up, and he had his hands tucked in his pockets.

"Riku. You really came, just like Kairi said you would." He turned his head but didn't bother turning around fully. "Took you long enough."

Riku's eyes narrowed. Gone was the joking tone that Sora normally used for playful jabs. Instead it was just a jab. Kairi's warning rang through his head, and he tensed, bracing himself for the worst.

But first he would try talking. Fighting would be an absolute last resort.

"Sora, are you okay?"

"You tell me. I gave up everything for our friends, and this is my reward? Death?"

Riku bit back the urge to comment on that. "I'm here to bring you home. We can go home now."

Sora chuckled, but it didn't relieve any of the tension hanging thick in the air at all. "Did Kairi tell you to say that?"

"No, but she'd say the same thing if she were here, and you know it."

"Well guess what? I don't need your help. I've figured out a way to get home on my own."

Riku took a deep breath. "Sora, you of all people should know that it's okay to ask your friends for help. What's gotten into you?"

He avoided adding 'the darkness' because he knew full well it had. This was like the stuff he'd spouted when he'd been full of it himself.

"I realized a few things," Sora said. "For one, all of you are always putting me down. You're always telling me I'm dumb and useless, and it's getting really old."

Riku winced at that. He had no idea how much their teasing had actually hurt Sora's feelings.

"Sora, if you want us to cut down on the teasing, we will. We don't actually think you're—"

Sora whirled around, and his eyes were yellow. "I saved every single one of you from dying, and it cost me my life in the end. Now tell me again how I'm useless."

His eyes flashed and his teeth were bared in a snarl. Riku didn't know what to do. Nothing he could say would de-escalate the situation. Sora was angry and upset, and the darkness had dragged up deep-rooted insecurities and amplified them.

"Kairi was right," Riku said at last. "The darkness does have you. But I can help."

He offered his hand, but Sora slapped it away and pinned it against the wall. "No. I don't need your help!"

He held his free hand up, and a few seconds later, his Keyblade appeared in it. He pointed it at the opposite wall, and a portal opened. Riku didn't recognize the pattern to it. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before. Maybe Sora really did have new powers.

The question was, how?

"Sora, who taught you how to do that?"

Sora raised his eyebrow. "Nobody. I figured it out myself. I'm not as stupid as you all think."

Maybe that was true, but there had to be some outside agent influencing him. Sora wouldn't just turn to darkness on his own like this.

Riku sighed deeply. He didn't want to fight Sora, but he would if he had to. He summoned his Keyblade, and Sora's eyes narrowed.

"Sora, I can't let you go through that portal."

"Oh, you wanna fight me now, is that it? Tell me, Riku, how many times have I beaten you now?"

Riku said nothing. It would only make things worse.

"That's right, you've lost count. And how many times have you beaten me?" he said, jabbing a finger at his heart. "Roxas and Ven's armor don't count. How many times have you fought _me _and won?"

Sora had a very good point, but Riku didn't care. He was fighting for Sora as much as he was fighting against him at this point. He took a few steps backwards so he could move into his battle stance, and Sora didn't stop him. In fact, he smiled a pretty creepy smile and moved into an attack stance of his own, like he relished the chance to fight.

"Sorry, Kairi, this is going to take longer than we planned," Riku said with a sigh, then Sora charged.

* * *

When Kairi saw Sora again, he was the one who initiated the contact. It was more vision than dream, and fully morning on Destiny Islands. The sun shone brilliantly overhead, but he was covered in shadow as she approached.

"Sora, Riku's on his way as we speak!" she said as she jogged over to him. "Hang in there!"

"You know… He really didn't have to do that."

She stopped in her tracks, her hands balling into fists. "Don't say things like that! He's risking his life for you!"

"Risking his life? Don't make me laugh. He just wanted another chance to fight me. Well too bad, because I won. Again."

Kairi's heart pounded. "W-What?"

"He tried to stop me from coming home, and I took care of him," Sora replied calmly, like he was talking about finishing his chores or doing his homework.

"Sora, what did you do to him?" she said as she desperately searched her heart for an answer.

That was when she heard it. A cracking sound coming from her left. She whirled towards it, and there it was. A big rift, traveling through the barrier and growing larger and larger.

"Sora? Are you the one doing that?"

"Yup. Turns out I'm not so weak and useless after all."

He thought he was weak and useless? Who had told him that?

"Get ready," he said. "Three, two, one—"

Kairi put up a shield around herself just as the barrier exploded into millions of tiny fragments. They bounced off harmlessly and dissolved into specs of light all around her.

"Finally. That stupid barrier keeping us apart is gone." Sora slowly lowered his arms, and the darkness dissipated enough for him to give her a chilling smile. His eyes were fully gold now, and his hair was halfway silver. Sharp claws had formed on his hands, and his fingers were completely red.

She put her hand over her mouth as tears burned at her eyes. "No," she whispered.

Sora raised his eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"You! Look at yourself!"

He regarded himself in the shallow water lingering on the sand, and his reflection stared coldly back up at him. "I see no difference," he said at last.

"How? How can you not tell?" she said, choking on her own words.

"Tell what?"

"Sora… you're starting to look like Xehanort."

His eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped open. The look he was giving her right now, she might as well have just slapped him in the face. He stared at his hands as if seeing them for the first time, then looked at her.

"Kairi?" he whispered, scared, broken.

She reached towards him when she felt a sharp tug on her heart. Riku. He needed her help.

"Sora, what have you done?"

That was when it hit her. This barrier. It wasn't just a barrier keeping the two of them apart. It was keeping the Realm of Light separate from the Realm of Death. Anything could come through right now. Any_one _could come through now. At least while it was open. It wouldn't be for long; in fact she could already sense it reforming, but—

He reached towards her, his face twisted in fear. "Kairi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

But the vision abruptly ended, and he was gone. Instead Riku's pained voice echoed in her mind as she was flung back into the Mysterious Tower.

"_Kairi, I'm sorry, Sora's—"_

"_I know. I've got you. Come back to us, and hurry!" _she said as she lit the way for him. "_I think I know where Sora is!"_

* * *

Sora's wail rang out as his legs buckled beneath him. The waves beat relentlessly against the shore around him, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

What had he done? What had he become? Kairi was right to be upset at him. Right to leave him behind. He looked like her murderer now, and he had dared to show his face to her. He wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see him again.

Hot tears slipped out of his eyes and fell onto the sand where they mingled with the sheen of water resting over it. "Kairi, I'm sorry," he sobbed, but not even Riku was here to comfort him this time.

Of course not. Riku had risked his life to save him, just like Kairi had said, and Sora had said such terrible things to him. Had fought him and hurt him and left him alone in the Realm of Death. And now Sora was alone, too, like he deserved, and—

He heard clapping from behind him and a voice that made his blood run cold.

"Sora! You did it! You got us back into the Realm of Light."

He sat up and turned to glare at the Master of Masters, not even caring that his face was streaked with tears. "This was all a setup, wasn't it? You used me! You tricked me!"

The Master of Masters sighed. "Did not. I just gave you a little push in the right direction. And it worked." He held out his arms. "Take a look around you. You're home!"

Sora took another look at his hands, which were now more like claws, and thought of Kairi's scared face and Riku's disappointed one all over again. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?"

The Master of Masters rested his hand on Sora's shoulder. "You're not the only one with friends, Sora. I just made sure I would get back to mine."

Sora smacked his hand away and staggered to his feet. "Shut up!"

"Sheesh, don't look at me like that. _I _didn't do anything, this is all on you."

"Liar!"

Sora moved to summon his Keyblade, but the Master of Masters was quicker. He held his hand out, and Sora gasped as a Keyblade appeared in his grasp… a Keyblade with a blue eye.

"Ah, thanks Luxu," he muttered. "Man, is it good to see you again," he added as he regarded the Keyblade. He guarded Sora's attack easily and sent him hurtling backwards till he landed on his back with a painful thud.

He put his foot over Sora's chest before Sora could so much as blink. "Tell me, Sora, have you ever heard the story about the Monkey's Paw?"

Sora didn't answer, and the Master of Masters pressed his foot down a little harder. Sora gasped as the air got squeezed out of his lungs.

"The Monkey's Paw will grant you any three wishes you like. Cool, huh? But it's not like a genie. You wanna know why?"

Sora could hardly breathe. He tried to summon his Keyblade, but the Master of Masters just pinned his arm down with his creepy-looking Keyblade, making the gesture useless.

"It grants those wishes in the worst way possible. If you wish for a million munny, it'll give you that because your parents died and left you their inheritance. If you wish to bring your dead friend back to life, it'll be his rotting corpse."

Sora was seeing stars now as he faded in and out. He could barely focus on the Master of Master's voice.

"And… if you wish to be reunited with your beloved, you'll become the very monster she fears. Fitting, don't you think? That charm she gave you isn't a good luck charm. It's a monkey's paw."

He sighed at that. "Ah, young love. Too bad yours is forever cursed. You got what you wanted, you're back home like you promised, but she doesn't want to be with you! She was so scared she ran away from you!" He bent down, his hooded face leering over Sora's. "How could she ever love a monster like you?" he whined, mocking Sora's pain.

"Enough," Sora choked out with the last of his breath, so much more weakly than the first time they'd met.

The Master of Masters leaned back and finally lifted his foot. "You're right. That is enough." He let his Keyblade disappear, too, as he summoned a Corridor of Darkness. "I can finally go meet my friends now. Till next time, Sora."

He actually waved goodbye before he stepped into the portal and disappeared, but Sora was too weak to stop him, his injured ribs throbbing as he gasped for air.

Once he felt like he wasn't about to die, he called on the last of his strength to heal himself. That was a lot better. His ribs were no longer screaming at him, and when he moved his arms, his chest didn't complain. When he tried to stagger to his feet, though, he just crumpled back onto the sand.

Why hadn't he listened? Kairi and Riku had both tried to help him. Why had he refused to let them? Why hadn't he trusted them?

"I'm sorry," he said, the tears from before threatening to come back. "I tried to do everything myself. Guess this is what I deserve."

The sun beat down on him again as the waves washed up all around him, but he still couldn't bring himself to move.

"Well, you were kinda reckless…" came a familiar voice. "...but you're here, and that's what matters."

His heart froze. "Kairi?"

He looked up, and sure enough, she was there. It was her, she was really here. She'd really come back for him. She knelt next to him and pulled him into her arms as he sobbed and apologized over and over again.

He could finally touch her. This wasn't a dream anymore. All those days spent alone, without the warmth of another person. Without her warmth. He hadn't realized how lonely and desperate he'd been for her affection until now. But now that he had it again, it was almost too much to bear. His heart felt like it was about to burst.

"Sora, it's okay," she soothed. "We're here."

After a few more moments of holding her, real and safe and alive, she pulled back so that the other part of the 'we' could greet him.

"Riku," Sora sniffed. Why had he let jealousy get between them?

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Riku said as he put his hand on Sora's shoulder. His other arm was in a sling, the same one Roxas had injured, and Sora felt like throwing up as he thought about what he'd done.

"This is nothing compared to the stunts I pulled," Riku finished. "You just fought me till you could get away. I tried to kill you."

"I don't know about that," Sora said. "I didn't just hurt you and Kairi, I unleashed the Master of Masters into the Realm of Light! I have no idea who he is or what he really wants."

Silence lingered between the three of them till Riku gave his shoulder another squeeze. "That's what we're here for," he said, smiling at last.

Kairi nodded. "We'll figure it out, together."

Sora smiled through his tears. "Thanks, guys."

The three of them hugged, then Riku was off to go report what had happened to Master Yen Sid, leaving Sora alone with Kairi. She was sitting on the shore next to him, looking out to sea with a content smile on her face.

He didn't know what to say. There was too much to really put into words. Still, he owed it to her to try.

He took a deep breath. "Kairi—"

She smiled sadly. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

He nodded, grateful she understood. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out her lucky charm. But seeing his hand again reminded him of the Master of Master's words about the monkey paw. Reminded him he still had claws for hands, because he was still corrupted by the darkness.

He hung his head, only for her to place her hand over his. He searched her eyes, and there wasn't any judgment or fear in them. Just that soft look she'd given him after they'd shared the paopu fruit.

Her smile was soft and gentle as she wrapped her arms around him again. Before long he found himself hugging her back. Gosh, it felt so good to hug her. All those times the barrier had stopped them… he had to make up for them.

"I missed you," he said.

"I missed you too."

When he finally leaned back and opened his eyes, she smiled, her cheeks flushing pink. He brought his hand to her face, and it was no longer a claw. It was his normal hand, free from the darkness.

He looked at his other hand. Also normal. He looked at his reflection in the shallow sheen of water on the sand. Blue eyes. Brown hair. He looked to Kairi. It was her, wasn't it? She was the one who had restored him to normal. She was the light in the darkness, just like she had always been. Just like she always would be.

"I'm back," he said, putting his whole heart into the words as he cupped her cheek.

Her smile got even bigger as she looked into his eyes. "You're home."

Yes, the Master of Masters was free in the Realm of Light now. Sora had hurt Riku, and Kairi, too. But they were his friends and they had forgiven him, and they'd stuck with him and had promised to help him fix the mess he'd made.

The Master of Masters was wrong. The lucky charm wasn't a monkey's paw. It was the most powerful magic there was, and it would always bring him and Kairi back together again.

* * *

Luxu slouched on his chair and groaned as the other apprentices got into a fight. Again. Aced was griping at Ira over something stupid, Invi was trying to get them both to calm down, and Gula was disagreeing with her and whining about Ava for the millionth time.

Geez, would they never stop bickering with each other? Yeah, Ava was still missing, but this was just getting ridiculous.

He opened his mouth to tell them all to shut up when there was a swirl of dark smoke in the center of the room. Here, in their top secret hideout that no one should know about.

Everyone froze at the sight of the person who came through, casual as ever, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Hey, guys! Did you miss me?"

Luxu grinned. The boss was back, and they could finally get to work.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was written for Day 7 of SoKai Week, Reunion/Home. The story overall is inspired by several people - teganberry, for coming up with the original headcanon, chachacharlieco, for building on said headcanon and drawing art for it, violetstar-writes for also adding to the idea, and rapis-razuri for letting me bounce ideas off of her. Alja also gave me some good advice. Speaking of which, after KH3 came out and we were both pretty broken inside, I told her I would write a reunion fic for Sora and Kairi, and as it turns out, this ended up being it! So I dedicate this fic to her. To rapis, too, for giving me such good feedback and input.

I have to say, writing the Master of Masters is a lot of fun. I don't know why I didn't do it before now. He surprises me sometimes even with what he does. Never a dull moment with that guy.

Anyway, thank you for reading!


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